16-year-old Amandla Stenberg’s ‘Don’t Cash Crop My Cornrows’

Her lesson in cultural appropriation leads to the question “What would America be like if we loved Black people as much as if we loved Black culture?”

That’s the question 16-year-old Hunger Games actor leaves the viewer with at the end of her 4.5minute video lesson, on black cultural appropriation.

The video entitled Don’t Cash Crop My Cornrows sees her call out musicians like Miley Cyrus for twerking and Katy Perry, Riff Raff and a host of other white musicians, for wearing cornrows.

She also points to an instance in which Azealia Banks called out Iggy Azalea for adopting black culture but failing to speak on or show support in issues that faced black people.

Amandla, who played Rue in the first Hunger Games, explains: “The line between cultural appropriation and cultural exchange is always going to be blurred.”

“But here’s the thing – appropriation occurs when a style leads to racist generalisations or stereotypes where it originated but is deemed as high fashion, cool, or funny when the privileged take it for themselves.

“Appropriation occurs when the appropriator is not aware of the deep significance of the culture that they are partaking in.”

Amandla knows what she is talking about and delivers her message very clearly, in a video that was put together for her history class.